This invention is directed to dome switch for use in an electrical device. A dome switch may be used to provide electrical signals to an electronic device in response to a physical actuation provided by a user. For example, a dome switch may include a dome with a conductive inner surface operative to close a circuit when the dome is pressed and the inner surface is placed in contact with one or more pads located underneath the dome, for example pads of a circuit board.
The dome may be coupled to the circuit board using any suitable approach. For example, an adhesive sheet may be placed over the dome such that a portion of the adhesive sheet extends beyond the periphery of the dome and may be coupled to the circuit board. The amount of adhesive sheet extending beyond the periphery of the dome may be selected to allow the dome to deform (e.g., in response to a user input) while maintaining the dome mounted to the circuit board.
Domes may be manufactured using any suitable approach. For example, several domes may be stamped from sheet metal and distributed on an adhesive sheet. The manufacturer may then provide a sheet that includes several domes to a device manufacturer, who may in turn extract domes with adhesive extending beyond the periphery of the domes to couple the domes to the electronic device. The manufacturing process, however, may be costly as domes must be accurately placed on an adhesive sheet, and the adhesive sheet must be cut to extract individual domes. In fact, the cost of the adhesive sheet alone may be significantly larger than the cost of the domes placed on the sheet.